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Not every private school charges the same tuition rate......there are other costs to be considered.....the point was, and still is, state schools are subsidized by taxes and that the cost to educate is closer to the out of state cost for that school, not the instate costs....and the actual class size has very little relevance.
We simply will disagree on this. Professors don't work for free, and salaries and support facilities (offices, etc.) make up a significant portion of the operating budget. When you have an average small class size, even at a freshman level (something I have personally seen at several private schools), you incur less overhead than large lower-division lecture sections plus graduate assistants teaching lab sections (something I have personally seen at two large state universities).
Exceptions to every rule, but I believe that's a major component to the tuition difference.
We simply will disagree on this. Professors don't work for free, and salaries and support facilities (offices, etc.) make up a significant portion of the operating budget. When you have an average small class size, even at a freshman level (something I have personally seen at several private schools), you incur less overhead than large lower-division lecture sections plus graduate assistants teaching lab sections (something I have personally seen at two large state universities).
Exceptions to every rule, but I believe that's a major component to the tuition difference.
Correction: MORE overhead with smaller class sizes. 10 profs teaching 4 20-person classes each (800 students) is not as efficient as one-two profs teaching much larger sections, with graduate students handling labs/recitations.
Hi everyone, first post here and sorry if it gets too long. So I am a graduating high school senior who has been accepted to both Montana State and Oregon State (for engineering) and I can't decide which school to attend. I am from Portland, OR, though I have visited both campuses and like both. I am going to attend college primarily for education, though I do want to hear the good and bad of both Bozeman and Corvallis.
The only reason you should be going to school is for education and to get a job. Anyway, I can speak to Montana State University. It is a good school. Most class sizes are not too big and it is a nice compact campus. However, if you are going, I would suggest living on campus and working on campus. The town has a VERY anti-student attitude.
The only reason you should be going to school is for education and to get a job. Anyway, I can speak to Montana State University. It is a good school. Most class sizes are not too big and it is a nice compact campus. However, if you are going, I would suggest living on campus and working on campus. The town has a VERY anti-student attitude.
Either way I will be living on campus, but in what way does Bozeman have an anti-student attitude? When I visited MSU almost every shop/restaurant (even the hotel I stayed at) had at least 1 MSU student employee and many had multiple. From what I saw many shops seemed to depend on MSU students and tourists for the majority of there revenue. And moreover everyone seemed extremely friendly and I was able to speak to many MSU alumni still living in Bozeman who recommended MSU.Then again I could be way off as I was only there 2 days.....
Either way I will be living on campus, but in what way does Bozeman have an anti-student attitude? When I visited MSU almost every shop/restaurant (even the hotel I stayed at) had at least 1 MSU student employee and many had multiple. From what I saw many shops seemed to depend on MSU students and tourists for the majority of there revenue. And moreover everyone seemed extremely friendly and I was able to speak to many MSU alumni still living in Bozeman who recommended MSU.Then again I could be way off as I was only there 2 days.....
Things may have changed, but when I was a student it seemed that the businesses did not like to hire college students and landlords always whined about college students renting from them. I just found the town to be very unfriendly and very snooty. I was glad when college was over and I saw that place through my rear view mirror.
OSU: 26406 cost - 10825 in scholarships = 15581 (loans)
MSU: 35500 cost - 19145 in scholarships + work study = 16355 (loans)
Also Rochester Institute of Technology upped their original offer, so they are back in the running, though an underdog as I will not be able to visit the campus before accepting
I went to MSU a little bit more recently than WyoEagle. I agree with his assertion that Bozeman is not friendly to college students. The issue stems from the struggle for Bozeman's economy to not be dominated by the college. That's a very long battle and right now, the economy is not.
I recommend going to the engineering school closest to where you want to live. MSU Engineering is atrocious for alumni connections. Maybe its' my industry, energy, but I've heard similar complaints from other alums. Usually, hiring managers know its a good school or have no opinion (which is better than a thumbs down). Nobody will give you an interview based solely on an MSU degree. In some instances, its a negative because you "might not want to leave" or "can't handle cities". The state does not give out tax credits for hiring UM or MSU grads. The engineering wages in Montana are not great and opportunities are few. Basically, an MSU degree is a one way ticket out of Montana unless you elect "poverty with a view." Had I not been an in-state student, I would not have gone to MSU.
OSU has improved their engineering department since the late '90s when I was in school. I graduated with a number of Oregonians because the out-of-state tuition was cheaper than in-state OSU AND it was a far better school based on EIT passing rates. Now, not so much as OSU has improved. If you want to work at Nike, Intel or other big Oregon employer, go to OSU.
RIT had some minor issues in the past but is back at the top for engineering schools. The issue there is you'll be going to school in an area that is bleeding young people and population overall.
Since you are taking out loans, I HIGHLY recommend getting the cheapest degree since you are only considering ABET schools with high EIT pass rates. All of these are good but I know that student loans are painful to pay off and you want to graduate with as little debt as possible.
I went to MSU a little bit more recently than WyoEagle. I agree with his assertion that Bozeman is not friendly to college students. The issue stems from the struggle for Bozeman's economy to not be dominated by the college. That's a very long battle and right now, the economy is not.
I recommend going to the engineering school closest to where you want to live. MSU Engineering is atrocious for alumni connections. Maybe its' my industry, energy, but I've heard similar complaints from other alums. Usually, hiring managers know its a good school or have no opinion (which is better than a thumbs down). Nobody will give you an interview based solely on an MSU degree. In some instances, its a negative because you "might not want to leave" or "can't handle cities". The state does not give out tax credits for hiring UM or MSU grads. The engineering wages in Montana are not great and opportunities are few. Basically, an MSU degree is a one way ticket out of Montana unless you elect "poverty with a view." Had I not been an in-state student, I would not have gone to MSU.
OSU has improved their engineering department since the late '90s when I was in school. I graduated with a number of Oregonians because the out-of-state tuition was cheaper than in-state OSU AND it was a far better school based on EIT passing rates. Now, not so much as OSU has improved. If you want to work at Nike, Intel or other big Oregon employer, go to OSU.
RIT had some minor issues in the past but is back at the top for engineering schools. The issue there is you'll be going to school in an area that is bleeding young people and population overall.
Since you are taking out loans, I HIGHLY recommend getting the cheapest degree since you are only considering ABET schools with high EIT pass rates. All of these are good but I know that student loans are painful to pay off and you want to graduate with as little debt as possible.
Well that's the thing, I doubt I would want to stay in Montana past college, from what I have seen of campus and of Bozeman I feel confident I would get a good education there and it would be an interesting out of state college experience. What is your opinion on the quality of the education you received at MSU? Were there any stuck up/clueless/disinvolved professors, or any just bad classes?
If you are from Portland, the proximity of Corvallis would lend itself to contacts within your potential pool of employment, assuming that you wish to remain in Oregon.. I wouldn't choose Montana State unless you plan to move to Montana.
Keep in mind that I am not making a judgment call between the two universities. For all I know, Montana State's engineering program may be superior to Oregon State's. What I am trying to get at is your job prospects, which will be helped by earning your degree from the university closest to where you end up settling.
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